A flagship Scottish Government programme is set to be scrapped in Glasgow with the loss of 11 jobs after funding for the project failed to arrive.
Developing the Young Workforce seeks to connect employers and educators in order to better prepare young people in schools and colleges for employment.
The scheme was introduced by the Scottish Government in 2014 to "prepare learners for future employment pathways and opportunities as they transition into the world of work".
Services offered include curricular activity; extra-curricular projects; careers-focused events; work experience placements; workplace visits/tasters; one-to-one support; and sharing work-based learning opportunities and job vacancies.
It's understood that at 10am on Monday, workers for Developing the Young Workforce were informed that funding the council was expecting from the Scottish Government has not arrived.
Unless that funding is forthcoming, the Developing the Young Workforce service will cease to exist in Glasgow on March 31.
The Herald understands that will mean 11 people currently working in Glasgow schools will lose their jobs on March 31, and as they have been employed on temporary contracts there will be no redundancy process.
Read More: Glasgow City Council to cut support for MCR Pathways school mentoring scheme
A further seven council employees are likely to be redeployed, with a further six having the right to revert to previous posts.
It comes after The Herald revealed that another key service for young people in the city, the MCR Pathways scheme, is set to be cut as part of the SNP-Green budget deal.
Sean O'Neill, a GMB Scotland representative in education for Glasgow said: “The government cuts to Developing the Young Workforce are a hammer blow to Glasgow’s most disadvantaged young people, families and communities.
"DYW school co-ordinators are on the frontlines of closing the poverty-related attainment gap.
"This attack on our employment is an attack on the life chances of our young people, who are Scotland's future workforce. The government must rethink this heartless decision and save our service".
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “These posts are funded by an external grant until the end of March 2024 and we do not yet have confirmation the funding will continue. Staff have been made aware that this is the case.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to Developing the Young Workforce, whose support to young people is critical to helping us realise every young person’s potential.
“While the formal grant offer has yet to issue, with the Scottish budget having only completed its passage through Parliament today, Ministers have been clear that they intend to offer a flat cash settlement for DYW to allow the programme to continue, and this position has been confirmed to DYW leads across Scotland.”
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